In India's Madhya Pradesh state, 17 children have reportedly died as a result of poisoning from a cough syrup named Coldrif, according to a report by The Times of India.
According to the report, approximately 20 victims have been recorded in the last 43 days, two of whom were infants; 11 children are currently in critical condition.
Medical tests revealed the presence of a toxic chemical substance—diethylene glycol—in the syrup samples.
As emphasized by Dr. Ashish Lote from a hospital in Nagpur, the amount of diethylene glycol in the sample was 48.6 percent instead of the permitted 0.1 percent—nearly 500 times the allowable limit.
According to the Center for the Safety of Pharmaceutical Products of Uzbekistan, Coldrif is not registered in Uzbekistan and is not used in the country.
Local authorities have also launched house-to-house inspections to identify and remove any remaining doses of the drug.
We recall that Uzbekistan also experienced mass poisoning in previous years due to the Doc-1 Max syrup manufactured in India: it was reported that 69 children died and 18 were left disabled.
On February 26, 2024, a court verdict was announced, sentencing a number of defendants and awarding material compensation to the victims.
